John Short (75), a missionary from Australia was arrested on Sunday for doing evangelical activities on Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. He was seen carrying Christian materials in public which he had translated into Korean. Reuters reported that Short has become the second foreign missionary to be held in captivity in North Korea.
His wife Karen stated that she will not be intimidated or upset about her husband's arrest. She commented, "I'm not upset; we're Christian missionaries and we have tremendous support for what we do." Karen also commented about how her husband was very transparent about his faith and read the Bible even in the presence of North Korean minders.
Short was arrested during his second trip to the country. Meanwhile, the Australian government is trying to negotiate Short's safety with the DPRK regime. Since Australia has no diplomatic relationship with North Korea, government insiders are trying to connect with the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, and the Australian embassy in Seoul, South Korea.
Meanwhile, though North Korean law states that the nation supports religious freedom, it is has one of the worst reputations in the world for religious oppression. Even now, the regime holds Kenneth Bae, an American missionary who was arrested over a year ago. Bae had been sentenced to 15 years in a penal labor camp.
